The boys and I spent our summer finale in Hillsborough, NC. Here’s the recap!
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After moving out of our rental house, the boys and I spent our summer finale in my hometown of Hillsborough while Thomas stayed in Charlottesville finishing up our home renovation! I think this was the longest I’ve spent in Hillsborough since I went to college in 2001! It was great to spend time doing activities in the area and relaxing at home. Here were some of the highlights!
The Art of the Brick
If you have Legos fans and live anywhere near Raleigh, the Art of the Brick exhibit was well worth the visit. Artist and Lego extraordinaire Nathan Sawaya’s creations are incredible – from massive Lego creatures like a T-rex to Lego replicas of famous artwork and mind-bending thinker pieces.
Mazen wore the perfect shirt!
At the end there were materials to do a little creating of your own.
While in the area, we had lunch at Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar!
The Durham Bulls
Another highlight was a trip to a Durham Bulls game! We had great cooler again this year.
Had to visit my brick! Look for my name at the Snorting Bull square : )
For dinner we had potato chips, peanuts, and beer!! (Plus quesadillas, hot dogs, and a chicken sandwich.)
The boys were quite wiggly – I didn’t get to watch much of the game!
The Chicks!!
Before our visit I saw that The Chicks had rescheduled a show to the window when I would be in the area. I bought tickets for me and dad to go to Greensboro for the show.
Beforehand we had an early dinner at Liberty Oak.
Wild Rivers was the opening act, and they were awesome.
And The Chicks were as amazing as ever. I still don’t know why they don’t play more songs from their first two albums (I thought the same after I saw them in 2016) but at least this time I was mentally prepared. The setlist was similar to the 2016 show with the crowd roaring any time they played something old!
I love that they use their voices for equality and change (always they always have) and acknowledged Black Lives Matter, pride 365 days a year, gun violence and more during their show.
Barbie!
Mazen said he would like to see Barbie, so I took him to Chapel Hill to see it with dinner at Bartaco after. LOVED the movie (and its messages) and that he was open to seeing it. Made for great dinner conversation about gender in our society!
Will Walk For Coffee
Many of the mornings I was in Hillsborough I walked to Cup-A-Joe’s for coffee and a muffin. The mornings were so crisp and pretty, and this time of year I didn’t mind a mile and a half before coffee at all.
I met my long-time friend Cheryl for a longer walk and catch up one morning along the River Walk.
I also bought a can of cold brew to have and enjoyed it over ice! Great tip to BYO if your dad also loves Folgers 😉
I did a few home + playground workouts too, but I am missing my routine! Need to lift something heavy that is not my child haha.
Playmates
Birch and Mazen are lucky to have a family down the street with children of similar ages. Mazen and the friend his age play together whenever we visit. And Birch now has a 6-year-old girl friend! They read books, played stuffed animal vets, and tended the fairy garden.
Chill Time
We also did a whole lotta relaxing and read lots of books, watched Star Wars, built new Legos, went to the elementary school playground, ate Whit’s Custard, and watched the Steph Curry documentary!
Paperhand Puppets
Our last big adventure was to Chapel Hill for the Paperhand Puppet Show!
First we had dinner at Bandito’s, my favorite Mexican restaurant from childhood. They closed the Hillsborough location during the pandemic. I’m not sure I would give the Franklin location a 10/10….
The show was at the Forest Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater. The puppets were very cool! My favorites were these moths on stilts and the mushroom that “broke it down” in a hip hop song (since mushrooms break things down!)
There were themes of nature, ancestors, and respecting rivers.
While the show wasn’t really *for* kids, there were plenty of kids there who seemed to enjoy it. Birch and Mazen loved it, although they both did lots of wiggling as little boys do. We were glad to be outside where they could move around.
Barbara Younger Art
Mom has been working hard on her paintings – here are two of her newest pieces, both for sale. The whale is made with tissue paper circles, and the Snowy Egret is on top of Jockey’s Ridge. Head to her website to see more available art.
Old Friends Say Hello
